Woody Creek, Colorado

"A bump, two dips, a rumble strip... That's Woody Creek"-- Quoted from the Woody Creek MySpace page.

I recently spent an extended weekend in Glenwood Springs where I stumbled upon the wake of a local legend. Woody Creek lines the walls of the canyon that shares its name. The town is a trailer park, a tavern, maybe a half dozen stores, and some rather large houses. This wonderful woodsy place is easily missed by the avid tourist because the two exits are secluded a few miles apart by a shit-load of trees. Traveling through the winding mountain passages on State Highway 82, about eight miles to Aspen and fourt-five minutes after leaving Glenwood, one exit then the other jumps out from around a bend in the road. Being lost in the wild rampant thoughts induced by the fast encroaching effects of the drug one took is beside the point. Woody Creek is a small speck here on Earth but was home to Journalist Hunter S. Thompson. For that fact alone it has a reputation that far succeeds it's size, but doesn't make it any easier to find.

Woody creek is a tiny mountain town next to the Roaring Fork River in Pitkin County and wants to be nothing more. The inhabitants are known as woody creatures, and some other famous woody creatures are; Don Johnson, Don Henley of The Eagles, and from 60 minutes the late Ed Bradley. The woody creatures that make this place home are proud of it being small, and loathe the wasted space of the million dollar houses. The locals detest all the new development taking over the valley. Seasonal homes are sores to the people that make this place their homestead for the entire year. Don't be fooled, they might flash friendly smiles at tourists, but they don't want people that over stay their welcome.